Space Shuttle Mission Sts-67 Press Kit March 1995
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION STS-67 PRESS KIT MARCH 1995 ASTRO-2 Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 1 STS-67 INSIGNIA STS067-S-001 -- Observation and remote exploration of the universe in the ultraviolet wavelengths of light are the focus of the STS-67/ASTRO-2 mission, as depicted in the mission insignia designed by the crewmembers. The insignia shows the ASTRO-2 telescopes in the space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay, orbiting high above Earth's atmosphere. The three sets of rays, diverging from the telescope on the insignia atop the Instrument Pointing System (IPS) , correspond to the three ASTRO-2 telescopes the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT), the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT), and the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE). The telescopes are co-aligned to simultaneously view the same astronomical object, as shown by the convergence of rays on the NASA symbol. This symbol also represents the excellence of the union of the NASA teams and universality's in the exploration of the universe through astronomy. The celestial targets of ASTRO-2 include the observation of planets, stars and galaxies shown in the design. The two small atoms represent the search in the ultraviolet spectrum for the signature of primordial helium in intergalactic space left over from the Big Bang. The observations performed on ASTRO-2 will contribute to man's knowledge and understanding of the vast universe, from the planets in our system to the farthest reaches of space. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 2 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS For Information on the Space Shuttle Ed Campion Policy/Management 202/358-1778 NASA Headquarters Washington, DC Rob Navias Mission Operations 713/483-5111 Johnson Space Center Astronauts Houston, TX Bruce Buckingham Launch Processing 407/867-2468 Kennedy Space Center, FL KSC Landing Information June Malone External Tank/SRBs/SSMEs 205/544-0034 Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL Cam Martin DFRC Landing Information 805/258-3448 Dryden Flight Research Center Edwards, CA For Information on STS-67 Experiments & Activities Don Savage ASTRO-2 202/358-1547 NASA Headquarters Washington, DC Mike Braukus PCG 202/358-1979 NASA Headquarters Washington, DC Tammy Jones GAS 301/286-5566 Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD Jim Cast MACE, CMIX 202/358-1779 NASA Headquarters Washington, DC Terri Hudkins SAREX 202/358-1977 NASA Headquarters Washington, DC Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 3 CONTENTS GENERAL BACKGROUND General Release 5 Media Services Information 7 Quick-Look Facts 8 Shuttle Abort Modes 10 Summary Timeline 11 Payload and Vehicle Weights 12 Orbital Events Summary 13 Crew Responsibilities 14 CARGO BAY PAYLOADS & ACTIVITIES ASTRO-2 17 Get Away Special (GAS) Experiments 32 IN-CABIN PAYLOADS Commercial MDA ITA Experiments (CMIX) 33 Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) Experiments 36 Middeck Active Control Experiment (MACE) 39 Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) 40 STS-67 CREW BIOGRAPHIES 42 Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 4 RELEASE: 95-18 ASTRO TELESCOPES MAKE SECOND FLIGHT ON STS-67 MISSION This March, Space Shuttle Endeavor will conduct NASA’s longest Shuttle flight to date carrying unique ultraviolet telescopes that will give astronomers a view of the universe impossible to obtain from the ground. The mission, designated STS-67, also will see Endeavour’s crew perform a wide range of microgravity processing experiments, continue efforts in understanding the structure of proteins and study active control of flexible structures in space. Launch of Endeavour is scheduled for March 2, 1995 at approximately 1:37 a.m. EST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39-A. Endeavour’s flight will be 15 days, 13 hours, 32 minutes. A 1:37 a.m. launch on March 2, would result in a landing at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility on March 17, at 3:09 p.m. EST. The STS-67 crew will be commanded by Stephen S. Oswald who will be making his third Shuttle flight. William G. Gregory, who will be making his first space flight, will serve as pilot. The three mission specialists aboard Endeavour will include John M. Grunsfeld, Mission Specialist-1 (MS-1) who will be making his first flight, Wendy B. Lawrence, Mission Specialist-2 (MS-2) who will be making her first flight and Tamara E. Jernigan, Payload Commander and Mission Specialist 3 (MS-3) who will be making her third flight. Rounding out the crew will be two payload specialists who flew on ASTRO-1 during the STS-35 mission in December 1990. Samuel Durrance will serve as Payload Specialist-1 (PS-1) and Ronald Parise will serve as Payload Specialist-2. Both Parise and Durrance will be making their second space flight. The Astro Observatory, making its second flight aboard a Space Shuttle, is a package of three instruments mounted on the Spacelab Instrument Pointing System (IPS). The Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope will conduct spectroscopy in the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing scientists to learn what elements are present in targeted celestial objects, as well as identify physical processes taking place. The second instrument, the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope, will take wide-field photographs of objects in ultraviolet light, recording the images on film for processing back on Earth. The third instrument, the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo- Polarimeter Experiment, will measure the intensity of ultraviolet light and its degree of polarization. The instrument will give astronomers clues to the geometry of a star or the composition and structure of the interstellar medium it illuminates. Simultaneous observations by these three telescopes will complement one another as they provide different perspectives on the same celestial objects. These observations also will complement those of ultraviolet instruments on other NASA spacecraft, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Ultraviolet Explorer, and the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer -- all currently in operation. By combining research findings from these various instruments, scientists hope to piece together the evolution and history of the universe and learn more about the composition and origin of stars and galaxies. The flight also will see the continuation of NASA’s Get Away Special (GAS) experiments program. The project gives individuals an opportunity to perform experiments in space on a Shuttle mission. Two GAS cans will be carried in the cargo bay in support of a payload from the Australian Space Office. The payload, coincidentally named Endeavour, is an Australian space telescope that will take images in the ultraviolet spectrum of violent events in nearby exploding galaxies. The third in a series of six Commercial MDA ITA Experiments (CMIX) payloads will also fly aboard Endeavour. CMIX-03 includes biomedical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cell biology, crystal growth and fluids science investigations. These experiments will explore ways in which microgravity can benefit drug development and delivery for treatment of cancer, infectious diseases and metabolic deficiencies. These experiments also will include Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 5 protein and inorganic crystal growth, experiments on secretion of medically important products from plant cells, calcium metabolism, invertebrate development and immune cell functions. Endeavour will carry two systems in Shuttle middeck lockers to continue space-based research into the structure of proteins and other macromolecules. The study of proteins, complex biochemicals that serve a variety of purposes in living organisms, is an important aspect of this mission. Determining the molecular structure of proteins will lead to a greater understanding of how the organisms function. Knowledge of the structures also can help the pharmaceutical industry develop disease-fighting drugs. The two systems are the Vapor Diffusion Apparatus in which trays will be housed within a temperature-controlled Thermal Enclosure System and the Protein Crystallization Apparatus for Microgravity that will be housed in a Single-locker Thermal Enclosure System. The Middeck Active Control Experiment is an experiment designed to study the active control of flexible structures in space. In this experiment, a small, multi-body platform will be assembled and free-floated inside the Space Shuttle. Tests will be conducted on the platform to measure how disturbances caused by a payload impact the performance of another nearby payload which is attached to the same supporting structure. The STS-67 crew will take on the role of teachers as they educate students in the United States and other countries about their mission objectives. Using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II, Shuttle Commander Stephen S. Oswald (call sign KB5YSR), pilot William G. Gregory, (license pending), mission specialists Tamara E. Jernigan (license pending) and Wendy B. Lawrence (KC5KII) and Payload Specialists Ron Parise (WA4SIR) and Sam Durrance (N3TQA) will talk with students in 26 schools in the U.S., South Africa, India and Australia using “ham radio”,